I don't buy that the R leadership is really against it. NOTHING gets voted on with the tacit approval of the Speaker. He could easily file a motion of discharge and then it would get dropped. He might have said "oh, no please don't vote on this" and then rubbed his hands in glee and watched it go forth and pass so he can claim to have been overruled.

Congressional Republicans just took a secret vote to strip the Office of Congressional Ethics of many of its powers and put it under their supervision. This vote isn't final: it still has to pass on the House floor tomorrow as part of a rules package.

THIS IS WHERE WE COME IN. If your Member of Congress is a Republican, please call them in the morning. Ask: How did Rep X vote on the measure to strip the Office of Congressional Ethic of its authority? Press them (politely) if they refuse to answer, let them know this is important to you. And then: ASK them to vote down the rules package as a stand against corruption.

Calling our congressional representatives en masse is one of the hallmarks of the Indivisible guide and a proven strategy that worked for the Tea Party. When you call, be brief, respectful, and stick to a single topic. Here are some sample scripts to get you started.

The Gutting of the Office of Congressional Ethics

I’m calling about the effort to undermine the OCE known as the Goodlatte* Amendment. If the House dismantles its own ethics office, how can we trust that they have the spine to represent our interests under Trump, whose conflicts of interests present their own ethical dilemmas? As your constituent, I would like to know how you voted on this rule change.

*Pronounced “GUUD-lat”

If you don't have a Republican rep, but have friends who live in conservative areas, send this to them and request that they call TODAY! If you know their zip code and can provide their rep's contact info, even better. Post it on Facebook, tag specific people, and email anyone who might not check FB frequently.

My congressman is Democratic, but I called anyway just to express my concern about this and my support for him in opposing it. The staffer I spoke with seemed glad to hear from me -- she said that the Democrats are outraged about this, their team is getting a statement opposing this move together, and their phone hasn't stopped ringing. This all sounds like good news to me.

My congressman is Democratic, but I called anyway just to express my concern about this and my support for him in opposing it. The staffer I spoke with seemed glad to hear from me -- she said that the Democrats are outraged about this, their team is getting a statement opposing this move together, and their phone hasn't stopped ringing. This all sounds like good news to me.

My congressman is Democratic, but I called anyway just to express my concern about this and my support for him in opposing it. The staffer I spoke with seemed glad to hear from me -- she said that the Democrats are outraged about this, their team is getting a statement opposing this move together, and their phone hasn't stopped ringing. This all sounds like good news to me.

I've got a meeting with a bunch of other activists in my town this weekend to organize ourselves Indivisible-style. It's ON.

How did you find these other local activists in your town?

The day after the election, I did some googling and Facebook searching and decided to go to a meeting being held by SURJ (Standing Up for Racial Justice). From signing up with them and attending some events and meeting some folks, I got invited to this big meeting over the weekend.

I like SURJ because it's less old-hippie-style peace-and-love, and more Gen X/Millennial-style let's-mix-it-up. (Personal preference.) There's likely a chapter where you are. You can also check out other affinity groups. Around here there's a Peace and Justice institute, a group called Colorado 350 that's about climate change, LGBTQ organizations, etc.

So, I guess, just find an issue you care about and start going to meetings of that group. Most organizations are thrilled to have new folks involved and they will likely welcome you with open arms if you are willing to pitch in and do stuff.

My congressman is Democratic, but I called anyway just to express my concern about this and my support for him in opposing it. The staffer I spoke with seemed glad to hear from me -- she said that the Democrats are outraged about this, their team is getting a statement opposing this move together, and their phone hasn't stopped ringing. This all sounds like good news to me.

I've got a meeting with a bunch of other activists in my town this weekend to organize ourselves Indivisible-style. It's ON.

How did you find these other local activists in your town?

The day after the election, I did some googling and Facebook searching and decided to go to a meeting being held by SURJ (Standing Up for Racial Justice). From signing up with them and attending some events and meeting some folks, I got invited to this big meeting over the weekend.

I like SURJ because it's less old-hippie-style peace-and-love, and more Gen X/Millennial-style let's-mix-it-up. (Personal preference.) There's likely a chapter where you are. You can also check out other affinity groups. Around here there's a Peace and Justice institute, a group called Colorado 350 that's about climate change, LGBTQ organizations, etc.

So, I guess, just find an issue you care about and start going to meetings of that group. Most organizations are thrilled to have new folks involved and they will likely welcome you with open arms if you are willing to pitch in and do stuff.

Thanks for this. You've propelled me to commit to attending a local SURJ meeting with this post.

My congressman is Democratic, but I called anyway just to express my concern about this and my support for him in opposing it. The staffer I spoke with seemed glad to hear from me -- she said that the Democrats are outraged about this, their team is getting a statement opposing this move together, and their phone hasn't stopped ringing. This all sounds like good news to me.

I've got a meeting with a bunch of other activists in my town this weekend to organize ourselves Indivisible-style. It's ON.

How did you find these other local activists in your town?

The day after the election, I did some googling and Facebook searching and decided to go to a meeting being held by SURJ (Standing Up for Racial Justice). From signing up with them and attending some events and meeting some folks, I got invited to this big meeting over the weekend.

I like SURJ because it's less old-hippie-style peace-and-love, and more Gen X/Millennial-style let's-mix-it-up. (Personal preference.) There's likely a chapter where you are. You can also check out other affinity groups. Around here there's a Peace and Justice institute, a group called Colorado 350 that's about climate change, LGBTQ organizations, etc.

So, I guess, just find an issue you care about and start going to meetings of that group. Most organizations are thrilled to have new folks involved and they will likely welcome you with open arms if you are willing to pitch in and do stuff.

Thanks for this. You've propelled me to commit to attending a local SURJ meeting with this post.

Thanks! I've been to a NOW meeting and a NARAL dinner since the election so far...wasn't overly impressed with the now meeting, but I'll keep looking. Thanks for the ideas.

Nice to hear you are checking out SURJ, Kris, and good luck finding a group you vibe with, jrhampt.

Just to be clear, I can be pretty critical of meetings/committees/etc. There are several reasons for this -- I don't like inefficiency, sometimes people just want to tell their whole life story, etc. Other times I'm just worked up and looking for an outlet and not in the mood to sit and hash out a bunch of things that seem really elementary to me. In short I can be very arrogant about such things :)

BUT! I'm really trying to put these feelings to the side so that I can connect with other activists, because the task we are facing is much more important than whether I'm feeling annoyed at inefficiency or not. I'm thinking about it as just a way to start, then hopefully opportunities to be more and more useful and connect with more and more like-minded people will appear from that.

Nice to hear you are checking out SURJ, Kris, and good luck finding a group you vibe with, jrhampt.

Just to be clear, I can be pretty critical of meetings/committees/etc. There are several reasons for this -- I don't like inefficiency, sometimes people just want to tell their whole life story, etc. Other times I'm just worked up and looking for an outlet and not in the mood to sit and hash out a bunch of things that seem really elementary to me. In short I can be very arrogant about such things :)

BUT! I'm really trying to put these feelings to the side so that I can connect with other activists, because the task we are facing is much more important than whether I'm feeling annoyed at inefficiency or not. I'm thinking about it as just a way to start, then hopefully opportunities to be more and more useful and connect with more and more like-minded people will appear from that.

Good luck finding your own good-enough way in!

I feel the same way. I have "liked/followed" the local SURJ chapter for a few months now, but I have put off trying to go to a meeting precisely because my previous experiences with various organizations has made me kind of impatient in these same ways. Add to that that I'm an introvert and not much of a joiner, and there are lots of reasons that I have resisted participating in groups like this in the past. But I don't really feel like I have that luxury anymore.

Nice to hear you are checking out SURJ, Kris, and good luck finding a group you vibe with, jrhampt.

Just to be clear, I can be pretty critical of meetings/committees/etc. There are several reasons for this -- I don't like inefficiency, sometimes people just want to tell their whole life story, etc. Other times I'm just worked up and looking for an outlet and not in the mood to sit and hash out a bunch of things that seem really elementary to me. In short I can be very arrogant about such things :)

BUT! I'm really trying to put these feelings to the side so that I can connect with other activists, because the task we are facing is much more important than whether I'm feeling annoyed at inefficiency or not. I'm thinking about it as just a way to start, then hopefully opportunities to be more and more useful and connect with more and more like-minded people will appear from that.

Good luck finding your own good-enough way in!

I feel the same way. I have "liked/followed" the local SURJ chapter for a few months now, but I have put off trying to go to a meeting precisely because my previous experiences with various organizations has made me kind of impatient in these same ways. Add to that that I'm an introvert and not much of a joiner, and there are lots of reasons that I have resisted participating in groups like this in the past. But I don't really feel like I have that luxury anymore.

I know exactly what you mean. I'm going to keep going and see what happens, but you're probably right that inefficiency and disorganization will ensue no matter what group it is, to some extent. And yes, being an introvert doesn't help much either.

Paul Ryan's office is conducting a phone poll, hoping to hear overwhelming opposition to the Affordable Care Act. Here's how you can participate:Call 608-752-4050 to weigh in on the issue. YOU'LL FIRST HEAR A VERY LONG SILENCE BUT DON'T HANG UP. Press 2 to listen to a recording about the bill to repeal it, then press 1 to support continuing the Affordable Healthcare Act. It takes less than 2 minutes!Copy, paste, pass it on!! (Apparently the reason for cutting and pasting instead of sharing has to do with FB and its algorithms.)I checked this out on Snopes, and it's real. The Snopes page gives two different phone numbers for Ryan, but those numbers just state the mailboxes are full and not accepting new messages. The number above works for voting, though again, the mailbox is full so you can't leave Ryan a message. It has been busy much of the time, but try periodically.

Any ideas for the upcoming congressional cabinet confirmation hearings?

I have a Republican senator who came out against Trump when the whole pussy-grabbing thing happened. Our state went blue in the election, so I am getting together with other folks I know to work on him hard. I'm going to call Senator Gardner every day and tell him that the cabinet officials are not qualified, they need to be vetted, and this process can't be rushed.

I'm following the Indivisible playbook -- contact your member of congress, go to their Town Hall meetings, request meetings with your activist group, ask them for specific things, let them know that you are paying attention, and make sure they understand you are communicating with other activists to oppose their re-election if your concerns aren't taken into account.

There is a special election happening this Tuesday, January 10th for two seats in Virginia’s Senate and a seat in the House of Delegates.

There are currently 2 vacant seats up for grabs in the Virginia Senate comprised of 18 Democrats and 20 Republicans. One race is basically a lock for the Democrat, but the other-District 22-is a tougher race. By flipping District 22 from Republican to Democrat, Ryant Washington could alter the balance of the Virginia Senate.

The Virginia House of Delegates is also Republican controlled (65/34), and changing that will require great effort from Democrats over the next couple election cycles. We need to start working on it now. Cheryl Turpin is the Democratic candidate currently running for an open seat in the 85th District, which was just vacated by a Republican.

What can we do? The campaign managers for these two candidates worry that voters are fatigued and won’t vote. Special election turnout is also historically low. Democrats from all over the country have been stepping up and the campaigns are banking on volunteer phone bankers.

Commit to making just three phone calls on Wednesday! I made a lot of calls for HRC, and it's easy with the script in front of you. If you're nervous, read through it a couple times beforehand. Don't worry about getting it perfect, though.

I live on a military base so can't host, bit I have called and emailed my Senators (1D and 1R) about he confirmation process being rushed with ethical reviews. I would call about the ACA repeal but I secretly want that to happen so that people get what they voted for.

I live on a military base so can't host, bit I have called and emailed my Senators (1D and 1R) about he confirmation process being rushed with ethical reviews. I would call about the ACA repeal but I secretly want that to happen so that people get what they voted for.

There are a lot of people who didn't vote for it who will get shafted too, tho :(

Ths reminds nded me to send my Democratic Senator a "bad girl!" message that she voted against Rand Paul's balanced budget bill. i reminded her that, once agan, she voted against my interests.

I'm sure that will go over well.

From Monkey Jenga:

"...Please do not let finger-pointing and arguments derail this thread. As previously mentioned, if anybody wants to start a new thread about the validity of these actions or who should've won or why, you are welcome to. I would like to keep the focus on actions and constructive advice..."

Ths reminds nded me to send my Democratic Senator a "bad girl!" message that she voted against Rand Paul's balanced budget bill. i reminded her that, once agan, she voted against my interests.

I'm sure that will go over well.

From Monkey Jenga:

"...Please do not let finger-pointing and arguments derail this thread. As previously mentioned, if anybody wants to start a new thread about the validity of these actions or who should've won or why, you are welcome to. I would like to keep the focus on actions and constructive advice..."

mm-hmm. I will desist, and allow anyone on this thread who agrees that calling one's senator a "bad girl" is "constructive" to chime in.

I'm putting this here, because if you watched his confirmation hearing, you may have gotten a favorable impression (esp in contrast to INCOMING ASSHAT in CHIEF). If you had previously intended to demand your reps oppose him, you may be having second thoughts. Don't. He's still an awful pick for SoS. He has a long history of saying what sounds good, and then doing things that are quite different.

Ths reminds nded me to send my Democratic Senator a "bad girl!" message that she voted against Rand Paul's balanced budget bill. i reminded her that, once agan, she voted against my interests.

I'm sure that will go over well.

From Monkey Jenga:

"...Please do not let finger-pointing and arguments derail this thread. As previously mentioned, if anybody wants to start a new thread about the validity of these actions or who should've won or why, you are welcome to. I would like to keep the focus on actions and constructive advice..."

mm-hmm. I will desist, and allow anyone on this thread who agrees that calling one's senator a "bad girl" is "constructive" to chime in.

I didnt call her a "bad girl" in my message to her, I told her she didnt represent my interest.

This might be a really dumb question.... but can you call a senator or rep who doesn't personally represent you? All of mine are deep, deep blue, always agree with me on all the issues, and always vote accordingly. Sure, I could call to say thanks for supporting (whatever issue's on the table), but I guess that doesn't seem terribly productive?

This might be a really dumb question.... but can you call a senator or rep who doesn't personally represent you? All of mine are deep, deep blue, always agree with me on all the issues, and always vote accordingly. Sure, I could call to say thanks for supporting (whatever issue's on the table), but I guess that doesn't seem terribly productive?

You can, but... it probably doesn't do much.

What you can do, though, is call your own reps and senators, anyway. You can thank them when they do a good thing, and more importantly, you can urge them to take even stronger stands, and lead the fight on issues instead of just voting the right way. That encourages less weak-kneed leadership. And the Dems have a really big problem with being weak-kneed.

This might be a really dumb question.... but can you call a senator or rep who doesn't personally represent you? All of mine are deep, deep blue, always agree with me on all the issues, and always vote accordingly. Sure, I could call to say thanks for supporting (whatever issue's on the table), but I guess that doesn't seem terribly productive?

You can, but... it probably doesn't do much.

What you can do, though, is call your own reps and senators, anyway. You can thank them when they do a good thing, and more importantly, you can urge them to take even stronger stands, and lead the fight on issues instead of just voting the right way. That encourages less weak-kneed leadership. And the Dems have a really big problem with being weak-kneed.

I find myself in a quandary, though. You might have noticed the "womxn" terminology in the link. Here's their explanation of this choice:

Quote

The spelling of “Womxn’s March” has been adapted to highlight and promote intersectionality in the movement for civil right [sic, because I am a jerk] and equality. Intersectionality acknowledges that different forms of discrimination intersect, overlap, and reinforce each other, and recognizes the impact of discrimination based not only on gender, but also race, sexual orientation, gender identity, nationality, faith, class, disability, and other backgrounds.

I have a problem with this. I think women should be able to have a protest/march referencing women's issues, full stop. I do not understand why a women's event needs to fall all over itself to acknowledge that there are other forms of oppression. Of course there are other forms of oppression, but why is it women's job to make room for these To The Point That We're Not Even Allowed To Use The Word WOMEN? I know the answer. It's because women are expected to put everyone else's needs ahead of theirs. No one expects this of any other group. No one expects African-American activists to name their events "Blxck Lives Matter" and to reference sexual orientation and disability.*

This pisses me off enough that I don't want to participate. I'm willing to listen to arguments to the contrary.

MJ, sorry if this is off topic - I honestly wasn't sure. I'll remove it to my own journal if that would be better.

*I support the Black Lives Matter movement 100%. And, as such, I do not think they should have to involve other types of oppression in their movement. HINT.

I find myself in a quandary, though. You might have noticed the "womxn" terminology in the link. Here's their explanation of this choice:

Quote

The spelling of “Womxn’s March” has been adapted to highlight and promote intersectionality in the movement for civil right [sic, because I am a jerk] and equality. Intersectionality acknowledges that different forms of discrimination intersect, overlap, and reinforce each other, and recognizes the impact of discrimination based not only on gender, but also race, sexual orientation, gender identity, nationality, faith, class, disability, and other backgrounds.

I have a problem with this. I think women should be able to have a protest/march referencing women's issues, full stop. I do not understand why a women's event needs to fall all over itself to acknowledge that there are other forms of oppression. Of course there are other forms of oppression, but why is it women's job to make room for these To The Point That We're Not Even Allowed To Use The Word WOMEN? I know the answer. It's because women are expected to put everyone else's needs ahead of theirs. No one expects this of any other group. No one expects African-American activists to name their events "Blxck Lives Matter" and to reference sexual orientation and disability.*

This pisses me off enough that I don't want to participate. I'm willing to listen to arguments to the contrary.

MJ, sorry if this is off topic - I honestly wasn't sure. I'll remove it to my own journal if that would be better.

*I support the Black Lives Matter movement 100%. And, as such, I do not think they should have to involve other types of oppression in their movement. HINT.

I think liberals are easy to make fun of when we do things like this (I'm talking about the women spelling, not about your conflict about whether to attend). I also think this election has brought up so many social justice issues that it's overwhelming people. For me, I think it's important enough to show up that I'm ignoring any in-fighting. If you want to show up and just focus on women's issues, then do that! Make your sign, wear your feminist slogan, march with your local planned parenthood or NOW chapter. I think division was partly what lost us the election, and we need to unite in opposition. No one's saying that gender equality isn't a huge impetus behind this march, but we want to encourage everyone to show up. They're also saying this isn't an explicitly anti-trump march, but for me it sure is. I'm okay with not agreeing with everything.

I think liberals are easy to make fun of when we do things like this (I'm talking about the women spelling, not about your conflict about whether to attend). I also think this election has brought up so many social justice issues that it's overwhelming people. For me, I think it's important enough to show up that I'm ignoring any in-fighting. If you want to show up and just focus on women's issues, then do that! Make your sign, wear your feminist slogan, march with your local planned parenthood or NOW chapter. I think division was partly what lost us the election, and we need to unite in opposition. No one's saying that gender equality isn't a huge impetus behind this march, but we want to encourage everyone to show up. They're also saying this isn't an explicitly anti-trump march, but for me it sure is. I'm okay with not agreeing with everything.

+1. Now is not the time to argue with people who basically agree that all humans deserve rights. I understand your annoyance, Cressida, but if I could I would march regardless.

Cressida, I'm annoyed by the wording too. Yet another instance of women having to defer to other groups, as if our complaints alone are not legitimate and reasonable and damn infuriating.

That being said, I'm still considering going. Not sure, though, as it would require getting going early in the morning (have been exhausted this week--so much that I think I'll actually drink a coffee today). BUT, I originally thought that another complication would be needing to find someone to watch the Demon Child, but now I'm wondering if it might not be better to bring her along. If nothing else, I want her to grow up seeing her mom Actually Do Stuff. I don't want to just talk about this, I want her to see me participating.

So, maybe we could talk each other into going?* And meeting up? If I go, I will definitely be wearing my "Notorious R.B.G." shirt.

I almost feel a responsibility to go on behalf of all the others who can't but would love to.

SiX, you should go and bring DC. On one of my door knocking trips to Philly for HRC, one woman brought her young son along. That was cool, showing that even young kids can get involved. And that involved a two hour bus ride both ways!

I think there are so many people who are angry about this election for so many different reasons and they all need an outlet. So why not invite everyone to join? This March is still being led entirely by women.

On another note, I just called my congresswoman and encouraged her to consider joining others in congress who are boycotting the inauguration.

Cressida and SisX, have you read at all about "white feminism" -- i.e. the tendency of white feminists to think about the issues that impact *us* without considering issues that impact black women, disabled women, etc?

Like, when people say "women got the right to vote in 1920," well, nope, that's not even remotely true. White women were able to vote starting in 1920. Black women in Southern states didn't get to exercise that right until the Civil Rights movement. In this way, the experiences of black women have been erased from the feminist movement for a long time.

I see where you are coming from, but do you really think that intersectionality is about women deferring to other groups? I guess it's possible to read it that way, but I don't think that's what is intended or even really what is happening. I see it more as an understanding that all women are impacted by many issues, and the oppression that women suffer based on their gender is often multiplied by race, disability, poverty, etc. If any march for women didn't consider those issues, then there would be a lot of women who'd be left out.

It kind of reminds me of, just after the election, when a bunch of (mostly white dude) liberals were calling for an end to "identity politics" because they are "divisive." But if you look at the liberal platform, and you start taking out planks that apply to the various groups in our culture -- take out disability rights, take out reproductive health, take out Black Lives Matter, etc etc -- then you end up with a platform that is made up exclusively of things that everyone white dudes care about.

It's an example of the centering of white dude perspective that takes place every moment of every day in our culture. The white male perspective is the "default" one, it's the one that is meant when people say "issues that everybody cares about," and the rest of us are just "special interest groups."

My guess is that the organizers of this march are trying to avoid that happening to their platform. They don't want to center on only the issues that impact middle class white women. They want to include the concerns of *all* women, which means explicitly including disabled women, women of color, poor women, etc.

Cressida and SisX, have you read at all about "white feminism" -- i.e. the tendency of white feminists to think about the issues that impact *us* without considering issues that impact black women, disabled women, etc?

Like, when people say "women got the right to vote in 1920," well, nope, that's not even remotely true. White women were able to vote starting in 1920. Black women in Southern states didn't get to exercise that right until the Civil Rights movement. In this way, the experiences of black women have been erased from the feminist movement for a long time.

I see where you are coming from, but do you really think that intersectionality is about women deferring to other groups? I guess it's possible to read it that way, but I don't think that's what is intended or even really what is happening. I see it more as an understanding that all women are impacted by many issues, and the oppression that women suffer based on their gender is often multiplied by race, disability, poverty, etc. If any march for women didn't consider those issues, then there would be a lot of women who'd be left out.

It kind of reminds me of, just after the election, when a bunch of (mostly white dude) liberals were calling for an end to "identity politics" because they are "divisive." But if you look at the liberal platform, and you start taking out planks that apply to the various groups in our culture -- take out disability rights, take out reproductive health, take out Black Lives Matter, etc etc -- then you end up with a platform that is made up exclusively of things that everyone white dudes care about.

It's an example of the centering of white dude perspective that takes place every moment of every day in our culture. The white male perspective is the "default" one, it's the one that is meant when people say "issues that everybody cares about," and the rest of us are just "special interest groups."

My guess is that the organizers of this march are trying to avoid that happening to their platform. They don't want to center on only the issues that impact middle class white women. They want to include the concerns of *all* women, which means explicitly including disabled women, women of color, poor women, etc.

I think this is well said. I would guess that most women of color wouldn't think that intersectionality is about women deferring to other groups.